What You Lose When You Buy the Brand, Not the Brains
Ever heard the saying “You won’t get fired for hiring IBM”? It’s a bit old hat now, but it still encompasses the way in which we buy consultancy services. When unsure, companies default to the familiar comfort of a big brand, mistaking logo recognition for guaranteed results and perceived safety. It's an easy trap to fall into until you find yourself knee-deep in status updates, vague PowerPoints, and junior consultants being upskilled on your time.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: when you buy the brand, you often lose the brains.
I have both hired and fired big firms throughout my career. I understand how it works.
A partner and a team of experienced, confident consultants arrive to “pitch” you the dream. However, days in, the dream quickly fades as you wake up to the reality of a team of recent graduates, not the senior partners who sold you on the project. That isn’t to say junior consultants aren’t smart or hard-working. They are. But when your business is navigating complex regulatory landscapes, scaling technology platforms, or redefining strategy under pressure, you need more than eager minds. You need seasoned expertise, and moreover, you need to feel like they are in it with you, that there is real skin in the game, that your success is the goal, not just a learning opportunity.
In these situations, you need a reliable partner with deep, specialist knowledge. Professionals who’ve walked the walk - industry veterans, subject matter experts, technologists, and operators who’ve been in the trenches. You need the person who sold you the dream to be the one by your side, making that dream a reality.
Big consultancies are often burdened by internal complexity: rigid processes, risk-averse policies, and hierarchical project structures. This makes it difficult to adapt and to tailor approaches. There’s a reason why a big firm's output looks familiar wherever you go. It is based on a cookie-cutter approach (tried and tested, they might say), but when every organisation is different, and context is key, who is going to spend the time unpicking 200 pages of jargon and boilerplate to make it relevant to your organisation?
If you're a fast-moving company or dealing with unique, thorny problems, agility isn’t a bonus; it's a requirement.
Ironically, the so-called “safe” choice can end up being the riskiest. Overloaded juniors, recycled frameworks, and prolonged timelines can cost you more in the long run - not just in fees, but in lost momentum, poor execution, and strategic misfires. Even if the end result looks impressive, if it’s not based on experience and knowledge of how the business works and its unique context, it is unlikely to be implementable. It will gather dust and be forgotten.
Meanwhile, specialist consultancies often deliver higher value at lower total cost because they bring targeted expertise, focus, and accountability. They’re not padding hours; they’re solving problems. And they are in it with you, and for you.
So, before you sign that big-brand contract, ask yourself:
Who will actually be doing the work?
What experience do they have in my challenge?
Will they challenge my thinking - or just validate it?
Am I buying real expertise - or just the illusion of it?
The world’s best consultants don’t always work at the biggest firms. Sometimes, they’ve left them to build something better - leaner, smarter, more honest. Something that puts brains over brand.
So next time, skip the logo and find the people who’ve truly been there and done that. Because in the end, it’s not the name on the invoice that drives success - it’s the expertise behind it.
If you're looking for seasoned consultants who bring real-world experience and honest partnership, get in touch. We'll help you cut through the noise and deliver solutions that work for your business.
Email: hello@marbraladvisory.com / Tel: 01534 744303
